To Keep The Memory Of 'Rising Star' Shining He Wrote About Love And Death

November 16, 1989|by STAN SCHAFFER, The Morning Call

Jason L. Goldenberg's bedroom is a quiet place.

A computer, printout machine, tapes and books attest to the literary and scholastic interests of a youth whose talent and good nature touched the hearts and minds of many people in the Parkland School District.

The North Whitehall Township teen-ager was killed Aug. 8, just four days before his 18th birthday. He had been driving along Sand Spring Road near his home when he lost control of the car and crashed into a tree and guide rail.

Police said they did not know what caused the crash. Lehigh County Coroner Wayne Snyder ruled the cause of death as head injuries.

Velia sorts through the photographs, cards letters and samples of her son's writing. She talks quietly about the past, including her former husband, Murray Goldberg, who lives in Tampa, Fla.

"I get letters from people, whether they're from his first-grade teacher or someone he met for one day - letters from people, parents saying they understood," she says as she holds up several cards.

The tinted glasses Velia wears do not hide the tears that trickle sporadically down her cheeks.

"He was a special human being; he had love and insight for people," she says.

The bedroom is just the way Jason left it, says his mother. His knapsack crammed with books rests against a desk leg. The desk is covered with the kinds of things a teen-ager uses: a Bible, college catalog, cassette players and after-shave lotion.

"The saddest thing to see is that these things just sit - the book bag, I left it the way it was," she says.

He was graduated from Parkland High School last spring and was attending summer school at Muhlenberg College, where he would have been a freshman this term.

While in high school, he was twice named to "Who's Who" on the national level for his scholastic achievements. He was past president of the literary club, Tapestry, and was a member of the stage crew and Latin Club.

Jason's friends, classmates and teachers have organized the Jason L. Goldenberg Memorial Scholarship Fund at the high school.

Velia, who keeps a copy of the letter to the Class of '89 describing the scholarship, was touched by the gesture.

"It's really nice that his friends are doing this. He was doing so wonderful for 17 years. He did leave a small mark - a lot of friends who loved him," she says.

To date, the fund has several thousand dollars in it, and more donations are anticipated. Details of the trust are being formulated.

The letter is signed by Jason Claire, a classmate, on behalf of the friends and family of Jason. It states in part:

"The loss of Jason is very deeply felt by all those who knew him. Jason was a talented writer and planned to study English at Muhlenberg College.

"Some of his works have been published, and his friends and family hope to have more of his work, comprised mostly of short stories, published. He won several awards, including the distinguished Golden Poet Award."

The award was for having published this year in the World of Poetry, Sacramento, Calif.